As Jamaica grapples with a tight labour market and record-low unemployment rates, a new trend is taking hold among private sector companies: job fairs.

Once reserved for large-scale recruitment, job fairs are now being utilised by businesses of all sizes reflecting a broader shift in recruitment strategies.

Wisynco, a beverage manufacturer undergoing significant expansion, and Lee’s Fifth Avenue, a retail clothing store grappling with high turnover rates, are among the prominent companies that have recently hosted job fairs. The events aimed to fill vacancies ranging from as few as 10 positions to as many as 2,000 employees, demonstrating the evolving dynamics of the Jamaican job market where traditional hiring methods are increasingly supplemented by mass recruitment events.

“There generally is a labour shortage, and companies are forced to get more aggressive with their hiring strategies. With the job market as tight as it is, job fairs offer a way to bring a large number of candidates together quickly, which is invaluable in today’s environment,” Wayne Chen, CEO of the Jamaica Employers’ Federation, told the Jamaica Observer.

He also highlighted the record-low unemployment rate of just under five per cent, noting that many young Jamaicans have either emigrated or opted out of the formal job market, further intensifying the demand for effective recruitment methods.

Particularly noteworthy is the collaboration between private companies and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS).

According to William Mahfood, chairman of beverage company Wisynco, which recently hired more than 1,000 individuals to fill new vacancies amid the company’s expansion, government partnership has facilitated more efficient job fairs, with companies leveraging the ministry’s resources to reach a broader pool of candidates.

“We had a massive turnout, and it allowed us to quickly shortlist and interview a large number of candidates. For our needs, job fairs were the most practical solution,” Mahfood said.

One of the most prominent examples of this trend is the MLSS’s job fair, which was held on Wednesday, September 18, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. More than 50 companies collaborated with the ministry for the event, aiming to attract more than 200 employees across various sectors. Participating companies included major players such as Centrefield, KPMG, Hawkeye, Mother’s, Chukka, Fontana, Sandals, Honey Bun, Purity, Riu, Knutsford Express, and Tryall Club. The job fair targeted a diverse range of industries, including business process outsourcing (BPO), the restaurant industry, tourism, pharmaceuticals, business services, and security.

Chen notes a significant shift in job market trends among younger workers.

“Many young people are moving away from the traditional career path of staying in one job for their entire careers. Instead, they are frequently changing jobs in search of better opportunities and are increasingly considering alternative work arrangements, such as remote work and freelance contracts,” he explained.

The shift underscores how today’s youth are redefining career expectations, seeking greater flexibility and satisfaction in their professional lives. As a result, businesses are adjusting their hiring strategies to attract and retain a dynamic workforce in an evolving job market.

Mahfood highlighted an intriguing trend observed at Wisynco’s recent job fair:

“We found that many of the attendees were already employed but were looking to upgrade their positions,” he told the BusinessWeek.

His observation aligns with Chen’s insights into the current job market, where competition for talent is fierce. Moreover, it reflects a broader trend where professionals, even those already employed, are actively seeking better opportunities and more fulfilling roles, underscoring the need for companies to offer attractive incentives to capture and retain top talent.

“Wisynco is viewed as an employer of choice due to its commitment to staff development and training opportunities. Many people are interested in working with the company because they offer career growth,” Chen explained.

Both Lee’s Fifth Avenue and Ammar’s Department Store have been facing significant challenges in retaining staff, particularly as employees are being poached by other industries, especially the BPO sector, which often offers higher wages. Michael Ammar Jr, owner of Ammar’s Department Store, has termed this phenomenon “cannibalisation”.

“What is happening is that people are just cannibalising other industries. When you can’t find somebody in retail, you go to another retail store and you’re offering better terms or better salary. That’s what’s happening right now,” Ammar explained. He further emphasised the critical shortage his business is experiencing.

“We right now have about between a five per cent and 7.5 per cent gap between our needed personnel and those that we have,” he said.

Sonia Trehan, manager at Lee’s Fifth Avenue, expressed frustration.

“We’ve had situations where staff leave after just a few months because they’re being offered better pay in the BPO sector. It’s tough to compete with that,” she said.

Ammar Jr noted that while the company recently raised salaries in an effort to retain staff, it hasn’t always been successful.

“We’ve increased salaries recently to try and keep our people, but it’s not always enough. Sometimes, even after a raise, we lose staff to other industries,” he said.

Job fairs offer a streamlined approach to recruitment by consolidating key hiring activities — interviewing, screening, and recruiting — into a single event. The format is particularly effective for filling entry-level positions and roles that require less specialised skills.

Companies often use job fairs to recruit for positions such as merchandisers, packagers, van sales representatives, delivery drivers, sales assistants, production workers, brand ambassadors, general assistants, store clerks, and warehouse attendants. However, for more specialised roles, traditional recruitment methods, including media advertising and online job boards, remain essential.

“Job fairs typically are for entry-level candidates and maybe a level above entry-level workers. For specialised skills, you have to be much more deliberate… people with high skills don’t turn up at job fairs,” Chen explained.

Still, job fairs, while effective for filling lower-skilled and entry-level positions, may not be a comprehensive solution to Jamaica’s growing labour shortage, according to Ammar Jr. As the economy expands and more industries struggle to find workers, he said that many business leaders are starting to recognise that relying solely on local recruitment efforts may fall short.

“At some point in time, we’re going to have to face the reality and start importing people to work. Because, if you grow the economy any more than it is now, who’s going to fill all these spaces?”

He reasoned that labour importation needs to be seriously explored as an alternative solution and suggested importing workers from countries with similar cultural and linguistic backgrounds could be a viable option.

“I found the perfect country to bring the people from — South Africa; they speak English and have a similar culture to Jamaicans,” he said.

Despite these challenges, Chen remains optimistic about the role of job fairs. “Given the current dynamics of the labour market, I expect to see more job fairs being held in the short term. They have proven to be an effective means of bringing together a large number of candidates and streamlining the hiring process,” Chen said.